The Druze: Culture, History and Mission

The Druze A New Cultural and Historical Appreciation Abbas Halabi 2013 www.garnetpublishing.co.uk 1 The Druze Published by Garnet Publishing Limited 8 Southern Court South Street Reading RG1 4QS UK www.garnetpublishing.co.uk www.twitter.com/Garnetpub www.facebook.com/Garnetpub blog.garnetpublishing.co.uk Copyright © Abbas Halabi, 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. First Edition 2013 ISBN: 9781859643532 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Jacket design by Garnet Publishing Typeset by Samantha Barden Printed and bound in Lebanon by International Press: [email protected] 2 To Karl-Abbas, my first grandson And the future generation of my family 3 Preface Foreword Introduction Chapter 1 Human geography Chapter 2 The history of the Druze, 1017–1943 Chapter 3 Communal and social organization Chapter 4 Traditional culture and the meaning of al-Adhā feast Chapter 5 Civil status law Chapter 6 The diaspora and cultural expansion Chapter 7 The political role of the Druze from independence to the present time Chapter 8 The Druze message: plurality and unity Summary and conclusion Appendix 1 The impact of European influences on the Druze community: “The new look” Appendix 2 Sheikh Halīm Taqī al-Dīn: a man of knowledge, piety and wisdom Appendix 3 Mysticism in the Druze faith Appendix 4 Kamāl Jumblatt: a man for dialogue with the younger generation Appendix 5 Meeting of the American Druze Society in Durango: an address on behalf of the Permanent Office for Druze Organizations Appendix 6 An address of the Druze representative to the Synod convened to discuss Lebanon Appendix 7 The mighty refuge of the Druze: Sheikh Abū Hasan `Ārif Halāwī Appendix 8 Muhammad Khalīl al-Bāshā: an illuminating personality Appendix 9 In commemoration of the Druze emir al-Sayyid Jamāl al-Dīn `Abdallah al-Tannūkhī Appendix 10 Tawfīq `Assāf: 1,000 men in one 4 Appendix 11 Beating the odds: the case of Druze survival Linda Abbas Halabi Appendix 12 Appendix 13 5 Preface This English edition of my book, the Druze Muwahhidun, completes a series published in three languages: French (2005), Arabic (2008) and, finally, English (2013). I have encountered great difficulties in publishing the English edition. Since I do not claim the same ability to write in English as I do in French and Arabic, I requested the assistance of more than one informed person to help in its translation. My main concern was to avoid publishing texts containing words or sentences incompatible with the true meaning of the Arabic version. An outstanding knowledge of English was not sufficient for translating a work of this nature since its veracity and conformity to the original Arabic demanded an equal fluency in Arab culture, given that the Druze Muwahhidun are integral to this culture. Consequently, I restrained my urge to go ahead with the publication of the English book, despite an offer by the publishing house of the newspaper An- Nahar to print it. I pondered who might be able to reproduce this book in what is considered to be the world‟s foremost spoken language. My elder brother, Adnan, suggested recourse to a person who combined fluency in the English language and in the history and culture of the Druze. Therefore, I requested the good offices of an old friend, Walīd Abi-Mershed, a Druze from a notable family living and working as a Senior Editor at the London- based Saudi newspaper As-Sharq Al-Aswsat. In his younger years, Mr Abi- Mershed was also active in Druze affairs and is thus familiar with both the English language and the content of my text. Mr Abi-Mershed‟s re-editing spanned approximately one year, during which time he sent me his revised chapters in succession. Once I had finalized my revisions of the text, I submitted the book to the publisher, thus completing my series as I had promised myself. I might also consider publishing in a fourth language – Spanish – should I succeed in finding the right editor. 6 In the introduction to my book, I refer to my early involvement in Druze affairs in Lebanon. I have progressively furthered my insight into the varied aspects of Druze life – be it on the confessional, religious, organizational, cultural or social and welfare levels. This endeavour was crowned by my election as Chairman of the Druze Endowments Committee, following my election to the membership of the Druze Community Council in April 2006 – a post that I still hold. My long working experience of more than 40 years in Druze public affairs has enabled me to acquaint myself with the realities of the Druze, with the community‟s chronic problems and points of strength. It has also enabled me to forge strong relations with many elements of the Druze social strata in Lebanon – particularly its leadership, its elderly and youthful figures, and especially its civil society. Within the framework of this society, I constantly held a role or a position in all of its organizations or committees, either in my capacity as a founder or as a personal contributor to its activities and development. These relations enabled me to probe the points of strength and weakness of the Druze community, and induced me to ponder about its situation, concerns, needs and prospects. In the course of this long experience, I reached certain convictions made possible by the freedom and independence of thought that I maintained throughout. From the onset, I did not commit myself to a political party or to any specific political trend. I was able to avoid the labels that categorize a Druze, wherever they are and wherever they come from. I was close to the late Kamāl Jumblatt, and am still close to his son, Walīd. I knew Emir Majīd Arslān, and am now acquainted with his son, Emir Talāl. However, I was closer to His Eminence, the late Sheikh al-Akl Mohammed Abou- Chacra, who enabled me to found and consolidate the Druze Health Organization, which was one of his major achievements, in addition to the Druze Community Home in Beirut, an initiative with which were also associated the Sheikh Toufīc Assāf (my father-in-law) and other prominent Druze. I always strived in retaining each tiny detail in everything I read. I was able to discern the positive influence of the Druze leaders without overlooking 7 the negative. My assessment of their role remained generally positive, despite several criticisms I made in writing or orally in the media, or even in the presence of some of them. Druze civil society is passing through a phase of weakness as a result of the overbearing influence of its leaders on its public activities. The main concern of prominent Druze figures has become to gain the approbation of this leader or another and the recognition of their role in one achievement or another. The long years of the civil war had already deterred this society from fulfilling its expected role as certain parties resorted to violent means to repress it, and this in the absence of any kind of protection from a state paralyzed by feudal influence. The activities of civil society relented and, in the process, its elite lost its stature and left the field open to organizational entities connected to political leaders in Mount Lebanon. Clearly, had it not been for the persevering audacity of some Druze elites, all social activities would have been limited to whatever is affiliated with a political leader. This explains the absence of any significant cultural or social activity in the Mountain that is worthy of being considered a significant contribution to the resolution of the general issues affecting the constituents the Druze Muwahhidun community. The situation was made worse by the monopolization of Druze political representation and the stagnation of their political classes following the assassination of their leader Kamāl Jumblatt. Consequently, we rarely encounter nowadays an ex-Druze minister or deputy. In 2006, we witnessed the test of the election of the Community‟s Council, which, instead of promoting all-out support for the council, worsened the state of internal division. Then came the events of May 2007, which unified a number of political forces with the resulting increase in political pressures on the Druze community. The latter traditionally advocates diversity within unity, allowing for the expression and promotion of various points of views, thus granting all members freedom of choice between different directions. The events of May 2007 put an end to this brand of diversity. Druze political forces united their ranks along a single project in an attempt to safeguard their community and spare it the scourge of a renewed civil war 8 fomented by an arrogant force whose ambition transcends the control of Lebanon to encompass a regional axis that begins in Damascus and extends beyond Teheran. The outcome turned out to be the political condemnation of the very forces that had heroically opposed these attacks. The condemnations went so far as to accuse them with treason, even heresy. The diversity that provided the Druze community with a narrow margin of action and freedom was unquestionably eroded. The lesson we derive from this experience is that any agreement among the Druze leaders is a problem … and any disagreement, an even bigger problem. The unification of the Druze political agenda did not generate a unity in the Druze internal agenda.

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